These Modern Days
by One Foot Forward
Summary: Kagome is learning to accept her new fate. But emotions have a way of complicating these things, and she's just not so certain she can deal with the ramifications of romance. YukiKagome
1. Chapter 1

The night air wasn't the only thing cold that night, but the deep thudding in her chest should hardly count. It was beating and living and _warm_, just as it was meant to be_._ Kagome sighed, softly to herself so that she would not wake the others slumbering next to her. Camping again had brought about some age old sorrows, and even though the setting was different, the time more modern, and she had believed herself over the whole escapade, she was still lying here, looking up at the stars curling around her vision while the chilly autumn she inhaled froze her heart piece by piece.

Yes, no need to be _melodramatic _or anything.

She could still tell the time without any form of clock on her person, something you just picked up after years of being incapable of keeping a watch on your wrist for long without it breaking or snagging or some wayward evil-doer out to kill you ripping it off. And it had been _hours_ since lights out. She withheld the next sigh, instead rolling over as quietly as she could and propping herself up on her forearms. It was useless; she wasn't getting the rest she wanted tonight.

Bracing herself as best she could, Kagome pushed her body up without crinkling the sleeping bag too much, inching out of it slow enough so the gentle snores of the other campers covered her movements. She still had a few hours until daylight. If she was going to be up with only melancholy memories to keep her company, might as well be productive about it.

So she stumbled out of the campsite the others had put together; if Inuyasha had been here, they'd never hear the end of their sloppiness. The fire would never last, and they'd be tracked too easily. Especially with the black fog rising because of the type of fuel they were giving it. The campers were noisy, didn't compact the site enough, and being so loud and large surely something would find them before the end of the night. And to top it all off, they were so _wasteful_ with their supplies.

Kagome smiled wryly to herself. Having a tiny, talking dog-demon in her head was probably not the best remedy for recovering from the past.

She let out the next sigh as loudly as she wanted; she'd gotten enough distance from the group and was soon upon her little patch of grass she'd found wandering earlier in the woods. The nice thing about a hiking and camping trip in one was that they got deep enough into the forest that one could almost pretend civilization didn't exist and that simpler times were upon them.

Although again, not exactly the best thing for her to stop thinking about demons and lords and happy slayers who had made peace for such a short while –

She was _not_ thinking of them.

Kagome sat down on the mossy bed; thankfully it hadn't rained recently and the only risk she ran was getting a little dirty. The stars were more visible here, and she let her head fall back against the trunk of the tree behind her, staring up into a never-ending reality. Was that to be her, living forever in suspended time and never being able to fully accept the world around her again? Simply because when she was young she'd made the mistake of trying to rescue a fat cat and save a scared boy from entering the dark?

Or because she'd tried to recover what she'd lost, stop the demons from gaining so much power that she'd never be capable of helping her friends. Of rectifying the mayhem and darkness that had covered the land, simply because she'd shot with all her might.

Kagome frowned. She was really on a losing streak tonight.

A soft rustling sound made the young woman tense, and she braced herself against the bark of the tree, her head lolling to the side. To a passer-by (although what passer-by was wandering around so late at night and in the middle of nowhere was beyond her) she simply appeared to be looking off into the distance from a different angle.

"Kagome? Is that you out here?"

The slightly timid, but assuredly-confident (the timidity was merely a side-effect from his soft spoken nature) voice made Kagome relax, frowning and smiling softly at the same time. It was difficult, but she managed.

"Yuki?" she called out, turning around a bit so she had a clear view of the silver-haired male. "What are you doing out here?"

The man in question walked forward so that he was standing above Kagome and leaning against her tree. She hadn't found the _biggest_ clearing after all, and there was hardly room for the both of them. He cocked his head. "I should ask you as much. I heard a rustling and thought I'd investigate; the boy's camp is just a few meters that way."

He pointed in the general northwards direction and Kagome cursed. She hadn't thought of any other campsite but her own. Really, these school functions should separate their factions a little better. Any young lovers could find each other for a devious romp in the woods.

She patted the ground next to her, looking up at him made her neck hurt, and Yuki took the seat silently, looking at her vaguely as if the sleep wasn't quite out of his eyes yet. Actually, when looking closer Kagome rather thought he looked similar to how she must be; as if he hadn't succumbed to the sleep at all yet. But what in the world would keep the Prince from resting?

"You heard a rustling noise and just thought you'd investigate? It could've been some wild animal for all you know."

He shrugged. "Didn't occur to me." Although of course, it had. But rats were everywhere, not just sewers these days, and it hadn't been a problem to figure out the human shape disappearing into the woods.

Kagome scowled to herself. Silly humans these days. They had no sense of self-preservation.

For a few moments silence passed over them, peaceful to the priestess, before the quiet whooshing of air and the sudden weight on her shoulder made Kagome turn her head abruptly. Yuki, apparently deciding that since he knew where the danger lay and that everything appeared to be safe, had given in to the sandman. His breathing softened and slowed as the young man slumbered on.

What the hell?

Kagome blushed slightly but left him where he was. If he was tired it was probably best to let him rest. Besides, it wasn't as if she was going anywhere. His insomnia may be easily cured, but tonight hers certainly wasn't. Too much to think about and not enough time in the day to get through it all.

She'd come across the Sohma's shortly after returning from the Feudal Era. Simply put, she hadn't been in the best of shape at the time; mourning the loss of her friends, her home, and most importantly, the place where she'd assumed she'd spend the rest of her life. Suddenly both the past and the future were ripped away from her, and she hadn't coped as gracefully as she'd liked, thinking back upon it.

Of course, time was never one to stand still. She'd returned to school, a different one this time, one a little less costly and a little more conducive to relearning the last few years of curriculum that she'd missed out on. It was something to occupy herself with, but never enough. And then she met Tohru. A delightful little girl who'd gone through her own share of hardships and come out on the other side with a smile. Even if their plights were incomparable, Kagome admired her for this resilience.

And of course, if one knew Tohru, one knew the Sohmas. It was the way they worked; Tohru did live with some of them after all. They were kind, well-mannered, and above all, accepting. Because as many weird things as she had in her past, one that she had yet to divulge, they had in theirs. It was that otherworldly sense to them that she got occasionally that she hadn't had the urge to investigate. Of course she had picked up their aversion to the opposite gender; they were hardly subtle about it. Nor were they inconspicuous about the hushed references to some clan leader. It wasn't hard to notice when you spent most of your time with them.

And she had. Spent all her time with them she meant. She'd needed to cope, and she'd thrown herself into it however she could. They had told her to live, before they'd disappeared from her life forever, and she had been trying to respect the last wish made by her pseudo family from the past. People such as Yuki or Momiji made that a little bit easier.

She smiled a little at the thought of the little blonde boy. He reminded her of Shippo, and once she could cope with that she was dearly grateful for it. She loved the little boy (although he didn't need to know that; didn't want to risk scaring him away) like she had the young fox demon, even if thinking too hard about it made her want to scream and cry and pound her fists into the earth until it decided to rewrite history and give her a second chance.

Kagome slumped a little. It was doing her no good if she couldn't think about the past without wanting to rectify it. What was done was done. She would let herself regret it all she wanted, but she wasn't about to go and let that ruin her life.

The cool breeze started up again, ruffling her and Yuki's hair together. She laid her head over his, letting the wind brush against her cheek and remove the obstructions from her face. It was certainly peaceful out here. She'd never completely be over her love of the outdoors. As much as it was a drug to her, bringing a delightful pain that she constantly sought once she'd found it, it was also a calming influence. It let her relax and think. It let her contemplate the world she was going to make her home in.

Yuki shifted slightly underneath her, apparently not as asleep as she'd assumed. "What're you thinking about?"

She smiled softly, not looking down at him and not lifting her own head off his. "Changes I suppose. Good and bad ones."

The young man pulled away, forcing Kagome to raise her head despite the protests emitted from her neck. Once righted up, he looked down on Kagome; her own dismal height hardly comparable to that of a man's. His eyes were curious, but also tinged with a seriousness that made Kagome look up at him with a start.

"You are thinking about changes in your life?"

She nodded, still looking at him strangely. Maybe it was simply the time of night or the thousands of thoughts running through her head (even she could admit to herself that one of the more uh, _welcome_ changes in her life was the entrance of this adorable individual) but she couldn't help but think that there was something more he wanted to say.

She forced the sigh into a smile, the memories of these last few months running through her mind. Night making her bold, memories making her foolish, Kagome looked away from Yuki and decided instead to lean against him, letting her back rest once again against the tree. She closed her eyes, but spoke quietly still. "Yes, those ones. I don't know if you remember me back when I first returned to school, but I wasn't in a good place. It is an improvement to be here tonight." She laughed to herself at that. "Although of course, it would also be an improvement to get a decent night's sleep too, I suppose."

He seemed as if there was more to add on to that, but gave in with his own soft laugh. One that quickly faded into the silence of the night. Kagome kept her eyes shut now with more determination, resisting the urge to look the man as he shifted against her.

He cleared his throat a little, not precisely nervous, but something along those lines. "I recall. You had eyes that led nowhere."

Before she could catch herself, Kagome agreed with a tinge of bitterness. "Well I have been told my eyes are a window to my soul."

The body next to her tensed for a moment, allowing the quietness of the night to wash over. Truly, the sky was beautiful now, and Kagome couldn't resist cracking an eye open to gaze up at the stars. Were these still the same ones she had looked at so long ago? An arm wrapping around her waist drew her out of the thought. She looked up at Yuki with surprise. He was looking off into the distance with a sad look.

His voice remained steady though. "Is that what you truly believe?"

It took Kagome a moment to figure out what he was talking about, but she just laughed when she had. "Oh Yuki. I don't mean anything by it. I certainly hope I don't look like that anymore."

She damn well better not, Kagome thought with a vengeance, for she had worked hard these last few months to socialize and breath the life back into her soul.

He shook his head, scattering silver hair into her eyes. It looked like moonlight with the way the stars shone upon it. Liquid silver. She never thought she'd be able to see a color even resembling the one she looked back upon so fondly, not without cringing.

She allowed the grip around her waist for now; the Sohma boys all had some odd fascination with hugging her, although generally it was always in the essence of friendship or comfort and for these reasons Kagome let it slide. As best she could she understood the odd relationship within the family and she'd been around enough outcasts and adults who'd grown up without another living creatures touch or love to know that it was as much as she could do for the family that had saved her.

Yuki sighed, drawing her attention once again back to reality. She went off daydreaming far too often to be healthy. Of course, by her internal watch it _was_ almost five in the morning. She was surprised Yuki had made it up this late.

Allowing herself a concession (she'd been on her best behaviour as of late; no wanton hugging or touching, not when the memories were resurfacing and other thoughts started creeping up in her head, ones that had little to do with the past and much more to do with the now and the liquid moonlight) she snuggled in deeper to Yuki's side. She spoke her words on the edge of a sigh. "You and your family are much of the reason. I am very grateful for the hospitality you've shown me." She'd closed her eyes again, speaking to the darkness.

It was almost a testament to _how_ far along she'd come to let her barriers drop that Kagome could feel the smile Yuki gave her. "It has certainly been our pleasure. You are a wonderful influence on the household."

Kagome shook her head against his chest. "Nah, Tohru's got that all taken care of. I just kind of wedge myself in here. Any help I can give I'm happy to, but you all have been more help to me then you realize."

Thankfully Yuki knew Kagome well enough to let the issue slide. He'd press her again when she was more…conscious. "And yet, here you are, in the middle of the night. Wandering in the woods."

The school had gone on a trip, three days and nights, and it had been everything for Kagome to not venture out the last night. If she did not get her rest tomorrow night she'd faint by the third day, and that'd be no good. She'd needed this one moment of peace to let the pain wash over her.

And Yuki had shown up and brought her out of it. She was never at risk of drowning in her sorrows; not with her faithful swarm of friends. But however could you communicate to the people you had come to love that you had a past that wouldn't stay where it needed to, and some days the one she needed the most protection from was herself?

She made a half-truth instead. "I couldn't sleep very well. And it's so pretty out tonight."

He nodded. "It is."

With the words that kept slipping out her mouth however Kagome realized she could learn to hate the half awake, half asleep train of thoughts that she was incapable of stopping. She opened her eyes, looking at him gently "And of course, you're here."

He pulled her closer to him. As if he thought nothing of her admission. After all the emotions she'd shared in the past, and the consequential heartache, wearing her heart on her sleeve was simply a task she wasn't up to. She could barely tell Tohru that she enjoyed her company.

"Yes, I am. So get some sleep."

She smiled at that. "And what if someone finds us?"

He matched her grin for grin, and it was the last thing she saw before she shut her eyes. "Then we tell them I'm saving you from bears."

She didn't bother telling him there were no bears in this part of the forest. The silver moonlight of his hair burned into her eyes, and Kagome drifted off into a pleasantly blank sleep.

* * *

So I know, I know. _Another_ story. Ahahah. BUT I CAN'T HELP IT. I swear, I at least have the next **two** chapters typed up. I'm just editing.

I'll finish one. Mhmm. Eventually .

Feedback is always appreciated :)


	2. Chapter 2

When Kagome awoke, it was with certain clarity. Clarity of what had transpired the night before. Clarity of how close she had come to admitting things she could barely admit to herself.

And with this newfound clarity – symbolically speaking, it _was _rather bright out and she could assuredly see better now that it was morning – came another realization.

She had _not_ fallen asleep in this position.

Yuki was curled up in her lap, his hair tickling her thigh (she was wearing a nightgown and _shorts_) and his arms wrapped around her waist. Before she'd lifted her head as she'd woken up, she had been propping herself up against the tree, her own hands buried in the pale grey hair that looked different (but not different _bad_ she thought with a furious blush) in the early sunlight.

Fuck. What time was it?

She glared upwards, concentrating on one thing first. If she was still correct with this whole internal clock deal, it had to only be seven in the morning. Yay. Two whole hours of sleep.

She frowned. What time would the boys be up? The girls usually woke up staggered; perfect if Kagome didn't return from the night before. They simply assumed she'd gone off to wash up or find a camper with food. It was what most of the girls did. But maybe the males were more…consistent.

She looked down at the young man in her lap. In. Her. _Lap._ Oh boy. How was she going to get him up without making him realize where exactly he'd slept? Or how to make him forget any signal she'd given last night that she had any feelings for him that went beyond a friend, or hell, a sister. Like say, burrowing herself into his side.

Kagome groaned. In another set of circumstances, this'd be sweet. Romantic even. But not now, when she was concerned about camp leaders finding out and god, the boy himself discovering it. She was so not ready to deal with it.

She felt said male start to shift, and panicked. First thing first. Get him off, worry about ramifications later.

As carefully as she'd extracted herself from the sleeping bag last night (and boy, what a mistake that'd been) she pulled herself out from Yuki. Getting the grip he'd had on her waist was difficult; he probably was under the delusion he was snuggled up against some giant teddy. She sobered for a second from her panic. Or Tohru.

The thought made her grimace, and after that and the fading embarrassment, it was easy to pull herself out with the aid of a few well-placed branches.

She walked off into the clearing a little bit, looking back for a moment to make sure that Yuki was still asleep, huddled under the foot of the tree now. It was true. She could see from the glances he'd tried to hide. It was an odd triangle. Yuki loved Tohru. Kyo loved Tohru. And hell, Tohru loved them all. Kagome couldn't figure out which one exactly the brunette had the hots for, but she'd be a fool to pass both of them up.

And Kagome had thrown herself in the middle of it. Teased the red-head. Adored Tohru like a sister, a younger one who had little idea of the realities of the world (and the fact was, no matter how troubling her past was, Tohru was still living in an ideal world where loved was easy to force on people). And…well, Yuki. She wasn't ready to sort out the mess that was that.

She let her head tilt up into the warming rays of sunlight. Despite the cool air of morning, she could tell it'd warm up into a beautiful day. Might as well make the most of it.

Walking back over to Yuki, Kagome reached down to shake him awake. Better safe than sorry. Groggily, two bright purple eyes (how _was_ that possible anyway?) blinked up at her. She giggled to herself. He wasn't a morning person obviously. How cute.

The distant scurrying of a squirrel brought her back, and she caught herself. No more of these thoughts, she chastised herself.

By this time Yuki had woken up enough to realize he wasn't in camp. He looked around blearily. Autopilot mode then. Kagome smiled wryly. Perfect. He wasn't even really present to ask her about last night.

He'd said the boys' camp was due north. She could do that much at least. Pulling him to his feet (Kagome was grateful that at least even if his mind wasn't fully functional, his body was. He was light, but not light enough for her to hoist over her back and carry out of the clearing) Kagome led him in the general direction indicated last night. Yuki for his part was absolutely silent.

Like he had said, the boys' camp was only a few meters over. She pushed him into the clearing as best she could without waking up any of the other boys (they weren't even awake yet, for all her panic) and whispered in his ear. Told him he was home and that he best wake up soon.

With a soft sigh she pulled herself away and turned back. She had her own camp to sneak back into. Certainly no time to be busy with any other thoughts.

* * *

Yuki, despite any preconceived notions, was not consistently a prince-like figure. So when the beautiful brunette shoved him into his campsite with barely a goodbye, and he had to deal with the slowly rising figures of pushy males who were most likely to start mocking his delicate figure, well now, he just was not going to stand there and let them.

And besides, did they know what time it was? They were lucky if no one ended up in the hospital, for the camp leaders of their group were very _passionate_ about proper camping and whatnot. Heads could very well roll, and Yuki could not be bothered to care.

This chaos was enough for Yuki to push aside any thoughts about certain annoying women that could not take a hint that swam around in his head, at least until breakfast. The two camps met up afterwards; they still had to change and eat and do all those other morning rituals that it was deemed they simply could not do around one another. And besides, Yuki could barely think straight until he had some coffee in his system.

It was while he made his breakfast on one of the many picnic tables that Kyo sat down beside him, the bright red hair catching Yuki's eye, even if he did not want it to. He was not in the best state this morning.

"Where'd you disappear off to last night?"

Yuki glanced out at him from the corner of his eye but remained silent. He and Kyo had reached…a certain understanding a few months back. After a particularly nasty fight and a sore subject, they'd ended up not talking for weeks. Which had been perfectly fine with Yuki as he liked the peace and quiet that Kyo gave him through some misconceived 'cold shoulder' tactic. Thankfully Kagome had chastised them; pointing out the obvious damage it was doing to Tohru's health. And neither one could stand for that. So they were on talking terms these days.

Lucky him.

Yuki shrugged. "I don't know what you are talking about."

It was a good sign that he was able to string together the sentence this early; Yuki simply credited it to the restless night he'd had.

Kyo scowled. "Don't give me that. You just up and left at some ungodly hour this morning. Last night. Whatever you want to call it. And you didn't return for a while."

The redhead was speaking in forced, clipped words, but the passionate anger usually present was underlined by something else. Worry? Surely the damnable cat was not concerned about him.

And why had he been up that early anyway?

Yuki nodded, forcing his eyes away from Kyo and back to his breakfast. As disgusting as the food they had to eat here was, it was nothing compared to what the family had survived on before Tohru had come into their lives. "I couldn't sleep, so I went for a walk."

Thankfully, before Kyo could pipe in with some other snide comment, the camp leader started on his tirade about the day's activities and forced the redhead into silence.

Yuki looked off in the leader's general direction in thought. It _was_ true; last night had been long and full of tossing and turning. He'd managed a few bits of sleep here and there, but they were never long enough. So when a few wayward signals from the rodents in the forest had caught his attention, he'd wandered off to chastise whatever young couple had gone off to meet each other.

And imagine his surprise when the object of his thoughts was sitting there on her lonesome (thank god) and staring up at the sky, mulling over her own problems. Whatever _those_ concerns were was beyond him; the young girl who'd rampaged into their lives a few months ago told very little about herself and her problems to any of the Sohmas.

Yuki sighed softly. Kagome had been a surprise that no one really knew how to deal with. One day she had come up to their group, singling out Momiji, and took him in her arms tightly. He'd had no time to react (who came up to strangers and embraced them anyway?) and the whole group was waiting (with _very_ baited breaths) for the tell-tale pop of smoke and transformation that they knew had to follow.

But nothing _had_ happened. And they still hadn't a clue why. Akito had been informed by the reluctant Sohmas and was thankfully too curious about Kagome to do anything to her yet. And it was not as if they had anything to erase within her memory. Kagome didn't know their secret. A fact that Yuki had been tempted to share many times since she'd been introduced into his life.

And from that point on Kagome had been as intricate in the Sohma's lives as Tohru was. She had told them that her mother and brother had moved away some time ago after her grandfather died, and that she was currently rooming in one of the apartments nearby. For that reason, this lack of parental concern in her life, she often did not eat as well as she should and Tohru was constantly inviting her over for dinner. Not that this bothered anyone in the house. Kagome was kind and gracious and always helpful. And wise beyond her years.

She may have been in her last year of school, just as they were, but Yuki often got the sense that she was much older than any of them. And not just physically. Some days her mind would go wandering and the look on her face got a little bit more wistful, a little bit more experienced. It was difficult to notice when she was so bright and energetic most of the time.

He frowned at the thought though. It frustrated him. No matter how cheerful she seemed, she was never really letting any of them in to her heart. She never opened up and shared her worries; absolutely nothing about her life. She could help all of _them_ as much as they needed to – and the little group of misfits that was his family had needed her help more times than he could remember – but she never gave any _hint_ of how she was. He knew that her life had been hard; he could see it on her face. But she would never _tell_ him.

She was so closed off to others concern. Why could she not see that they wanted to help?

As the camp leader stopped talking, and Yuki started to notice Kyo's eager look, the young male stood up with his half-finished breakfast and empty cup of coffee and left the table. He couldn't even make sense of his own thoughts. How was he going to explain them to Kyo? Why should he even bother trying to?

He wandered off a bit, relaxing in the warm sunlight and quiet paths. He knew that as president of the student council he shouldn't really be shirking his duties, but he found it difficult lately to focus on much besides the utter incompetence of his situation. He realized in part it was because he had such an inferiority complex and was too accustomed to being quiet and introverted, but he had improved with the help and support of all his friends. And it was not simply that he could not talk to Kagome. It was that she refused to talk to him.

Yuki didn't pay attention too much to the trails (he was fairly certain that he still had twenty minutes before the whole class set out again for the day anyway). No. It wasn't that Kagome wouldn't talk to him. She was always there should he need it, and more than once she had taken him by the shoulders and set him straight lest he should start thinking himself insufficient. But he could never be the one to comfort her, to be trusted with the heavy thoughts that weighed on her soul. It was not in the young girl's nature to just blindly put her worries on others, but to always accept the cry for help if she heard it.

And the thoughts she did share were worrisome sometimes. Almost as self-deprecating as Yuki had been before he'd met Tohru. She was always belittling herself when complimented. Underneath it all, she was such a shy girl. Complementing others and bringing out their best nature.

And she was far too beautiful to be doing so. Deep blue eyes and luscious black hair; a combination that she seemed to wield unknowingly; which only served to make it all the more startling. Pretty pale lips that always curved into a smile, soft, tiny hands that were always there to support you, and-

Yuki sighed. There was no point hiding it from his own mind. He was hopelessly in love with Kagome. Ever since she'd come into his life and smiled those pretty white teeth at him, he had been. It was a far cry from the crush he'd developed on Tohru so long ago, simply because she had been the first to help him. And it had nothing to do with the fact that she seemed immune to the Sohma's curse. It was because she was everything good and honest in the world, so accepting and kind and just…her.

But it was not as if she would ever believe him if he said it. And sometimes Yuki wondered if perhaps he could never suit Kagome's needs. Because she deserved someone to help her, to get her over all the worry in her life. And Yuki was quiet and serious and not someone you confided in. He could never be what she needed.

Last night, although probably nothing more to her than a peaceful moment with a friend, had opened Yuki up to just how badly along he was. The feel of her body against his, her face buried into his chest as she slept on, the trust he knew it must take for her to let herself relax with him, it had all meant so much. And he had loved it. He wished he could just be honest with her for once in his life.

Looking up at the bright morning sky, Yuki shook his head as if to rid himself of these thoughts. It wasn't a cycle he hadn't been in before. He never came to an answer. And time was passing awfully quickly. He had best head back to class and help out where he could.

So he set back down the path he'd been walking on. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

LOOK GUYS LOOK. AN UPDATE. AN UPDATE THAT ISN'T OVER A MONTH LATER. I'M SO PROUD :D

(Ahaha, now good luck getting another one out of me in years . I THINK I'M KIDDING)

Sorry . Crazy person leaving now.


	3. Chapter 3

Kagome had stumbled into her own campsite dejectedly. Well, as dejected as she could be while still half awake. She had been long accustomed to getting half a night's sleep, but this was getting harder and harder to pull off as the weeks piled on. She was too used to modern day life.

Which, she chastised herself, was a _good_ thing. She was living, just as she should be.

The rest of the girls were waking up as she got back in to camp and no one particularly noticed her absence. Tohru smiled at her as she walked in and a pang went through Kagome as she brushed aside any jealous thoughts she had had of the brunette earlier.

No one was as loving and kind as this young girl. She deserved only the same in return. The realities of this world were too much for such frail shoulders.

"Kagome! Good to see you back. Breakfast just started." Her happy shout alerted some of the other girls to Kagome's presence, most of who smiled kindly at her and wished her similar sentiments. No one inquired as to where she had been and for that she was grateful.

Kagome smiled complacently at the girl. "Thanks Tohru! I'll just go change first."

Tohru nodded with a wide smile, and turned back to answer some question from one of her friends. Kagome's smile faded slightly as she walked off to the washrooms, backpack in hand.

What she had done last night had been foolish and _wrong._ She was not to get in the way of the group. She was not to let herself feel any of these troublesome emotions until she could properly deal with them. And most importantly, she was not going to risk hurting any of her new friends simply because they were foolishly kind to her. If there was one thing her past had taught her it was that everything could be ripped away at a moment's notice, no matter how valiantly you tried to make it otherwise. All this drama in life was just so _pointless_. She wasn't going to waste any of their lives with her troubles. The friendship she'd been privy to was more than enough.

So _why_ had she gone and jeopardized the whole thing last night? It was not that she making a mountain out of a molehill. Yuki was not like that. Falling asleep with him, something so personal and intimate, meant more.

And it couldn't mean more. Because he could not deal with her 'more'. _She_ couldn't even deal with it. With was pathetic but oh so true.

She headed into the washroom. She just had to convince him that whatever connotation went along with last night weren't actually there. And then, she had to start keeping her distance. This was certainly not a relationship that he deserved.

She sighed softly to herself. Oh well. It was good enough that she had their friendship. And the day was beautiful. She was going to live in the moment, and stop worrying. She could do that much, couldn't she?

The washroom light flickered – despite the fact that there were better facilities (well, facilities at _all_) in the modern era, it was still rather rustic – and Kagome wrinkled her nose and stifled a sigh. Gross. Anyway, a new day meant a new mind set. She had an iron will left over from her fighting days, right?

The rhetorical questions were starting to annoy Kagome so she brushed her way into one of the cleaner stalls and changed as fast as she could. Breakfast was already cooked, so she should at least try to get back in time to help clean up the camp.

* * *

They met up midday, when the two genders converged to continue the hike up the mountain. Tohru had spotted Momiji first, then Kyo, and of course, with the group was Yuki. Kagome ducked down to hide her pained smile and picked up Momiji, swinging him around up so that she ended up carrying him on her back. She ignored the others protest (they may not know it, but she was a strong women, and was used to a small weight on her shoulders as she travelled) and welcomed the warmth on her back.

Momiji cuddled against her, chattering in her ear. "How was your sleep Kagome?"

She swayed him around a bit and smiled at his giggle. Is this what Shippo would have been like, if she could have seen him grown up?

"It was a wonderful, deep sleep Momiji. And yours?"

She tried to miss the way Yuki glanced over her at this statement. She was not giving him any ideas, she told herself over and over in her head.

The sun blinded her for a moment, lightening Momiji's hair into a white blonde and drawing her attention back on his answer. "Me too! The guys were planning ways to sneak into the girl's campsite last night, but Yuki put a stop to them. So everybody got to sleep early."

Kagome couldn't help herself. She shot Yuki a wry look. "Don't want anybody going off together in the woods?"

He chuckled. "Who knows what could happen out there. Bear attacks and all that."

Kagome couldn't help herself. She laughed. Momiji just stared at the two in confusion. "But there aren't any bears out this way. You know that."

Kagome shrugged it off, and started spinning Momiji around for his amusement. All for the best. Yuki couldn't get her into conversation, and she could make this adorable boy laugh. Win-win.

When they stopped spinning, and stumbling along for a few moments afterwards, Tohru stopped her conversation with Kyo to shoot Kagome a concerned look. "Are you alright Kagome? You aren't too tired, are you?"

At first Kagome thought Tohru was referring to her lack of sleep, but before she could stammer out an excuse, she felt Momiji giggle. "Kagome's strong! She told me herself that she could make this hike in twice the time it took the others."

Kagome's face brightened and she looked away in embarrassment. She had in fact told the little boy that, but also along with the reasoning that she enjoyed having the companionship. She figured if she made the whole situation about herself, Momiji was more likely to placate her and let her carry him around.

Thankfully he didn't mention that aspect, and Tohru just worried herself into a circle. "But that's-"

Kagome laughed. "I was serious Tohru, so do not get anxious. I'm used to getting exercise like this, and Momiji is just so light-"

"Are you calling me skinny? I'll have you know I'm only a few years younger than you!"

Kagome turned sideways to laugh at the young boy, whose face was hanging over her shoulder. "Of course, of course. You're plenty manly."

He huffed. "That's right. And don't you go forgetting it."

With this declaration the young boy curled his arms deeper around Kagome's neck and snuggled into her back. "Of course, that doesn't mean I need to go walking myself around. A growing man needs his beauty rest as much as he needs his exercise."

Kagome laughed out loud, a pleasant adaptation she had come across in the last few weeks. A joyous bubbling that spilt out of her throat in a helpless way that was awfully reminiscent of her years at fifteen. It was nice. Momiji seemed to agree because she felt him smile against her back and join in with her.

Oh how happy she was to have these things in her life. Kagome knew that no matter how much sacrifice she had to make, it would be absolutely nothing to keep these friendships around.

The moment she thought of this though, Yuki sidled up to her and Momiji. Kagome's mood took a quick 180 and she was about ready to pull her hair out in frustration if not for two things. One, Momiji was currently occupying her hands as she needed to keep him stable on her back. Two, well, Kagome only had to glance behind her to see Tohru and Kyo, their heads together in some conversation or another. She smiled softly, and turned back around to Yuki, the pieces fitting in her head.

"How's your morning going?"

Yuki looked at Momiji quickly and smiled at Kagome. "It's been good. And yours?"

She sighed dramatically. "Oh horrid really. I had to clean up this morning. Without gloves. I almost broke a _nail_."

Both Yuki and Momiji laughed at this and Kagome started swinging the young boy on her back again. "You jest now, but when I'm decrepit and my hands are short stubs of their former glory, you'll regret it!"

No one bothered to mention the fact that Kagome's hands were calloused and the farthest thing from well-kept. They were kind in that way – they rarely pushed her for information that she was unwilling to give. Like the scars she occasionally showed (she was proud of the battles she had fought for, and despite some preconceived notion of beauty, she was not about to hide them) or the long silences she induced herself into whenever the past became too much to keep behind her and she had to focus on it for a while.

And it wasn't that she didn't _want_ to tell them. Well, she really didn't. It wasn't that she didn't trust them, or she was concerned that they wouldn't believe her. That was precisely what she _was_ afraid of. Should they believe her and learn of her darker past, she didn't think either of them would be able to continue this easy friendship. It would become something darker and strained.

She looked up into the blue skies so reminiscent, but no longer in quite a depressing way. Perhaps one day they'd all be free of their dark secrets.

Yuki was still laughing, and through it he laid his hand on her shoulder to keep his balance. From the sly grin Kagome could feel on her cheek she was positive that Momiji could feel the heat on her face blossom. She scowled as discretely as she could and sniffed at Yuki. "It is improper to laugh at a lady."

Momiji giggle. "If you're a lady, what does that make us?"

She smiled complacently. "Why, the jesters of my court of course!"

Yuki, smothering his laughter, turned bright eyes towards Kagome that made her stomach twist a little. He raised his eyebrows and shot Momiji a look.

"Oh so she's a _Queen_ now is she?"

Momiji buried his head into Kagome's hair, messing it up a fair bit. "Oh she's always been our Queen."

Kagome huffed and nodded decidedly at this. "Of course. I can't find an argument there."

The trio laughed, pulling ahead from Kyo and Tohru as they joked. No one even noticed when the pair ducked back and started talking in hushed tones.

Especially since they were, you know, hushed and all.

Thankfully in the last few years, particularly these last couple of months with Kagome and her ever present rants, Kyo had matured to the point where talking to Tohru was pleasant, and not quite as awkward. He no longer felt the need to be _as_ crude and rough as he had once been; although of course, he wouldn't be himself if he didn't act like the immature ruffian that he was. Not that you'd catch him saying that.

So with barely a blush (although this was Kyo, and he still stammered around the young brunette) the redhead knocked Tohru on the shoulder. "Did you notice Kagome getting in late today?"

Tohru, who had been watching Kyo with her own faint blush, thought about the question for a brief moment. "Well, not necessarily late. I didn't see her wake up though; she just came into camp this morning. Why?"

Kyo shrugged. It wasn't that him and Yuki were exactly the best of friends, but Kyo could admit to the slight concern towards the rat. "I saw Yuki leave last night for a long time. And I think I can feel Kagome on him but I just don't know."

Tohru gasped. "Do you think they were out together last night?" She paused for a beat, but before Kyo could answer she smiled brightly and chirped on. "That would be so wonderful! They get along so well."

Kyo laughed, partially endeared to the young girl's kindness, partially relieved that she seemed to have no lingering feelings for the rat. It was petty, but he could not stop the happiness he felt whenever he thought of the young girl, nor could he stop the jealousy whenever she and Yuki were together. Especially since Kyo suspected Yuki harboured feelings for her.

Or had at least. Since Kagome had appeared, well…things were changing. And the only two people who couldn't see that the other liked them were of course the two in question.

Tohru sighed. "But I don't know how Kagome feels. She's so quiet sometimes."

Kyo nodded. "She's stupid keepin' everything holed up like that. Idiot girl."

Tohru laughed. "You are worried as well?"

The red head blushed, as he was prone to do, and said nothing. Kagome had never been one to try and worm her way into their lives, demanding answers to the odd questions that had to crop up occasionally. In turn they did the same for her situation; whenever she acted strangely or weird occurrences happened, they kept quiet. But all these secrets were difficult on Kyo, who was neither cunning nor sly. He just wished that everyone could be honest with each other. Particularly with Kagome. Kyo had become less distrustful since meeting Tohru and coming to understand the concept of complete acceptance. That is was _possible_. Kagome had done her fair share for the Sohmas and accepted every weird trait and eccentricity that had come her way. She deserved to know.

His blush deepened. Not that that particular piece of information would ever come out in actual conversation.

Tohru, who had been watching Kyo, nodded determinedly. "Why don't you ask Yuki tonight, and I'll talk to Kagome. Surely as their friends we can help them somehow!"

Kyo didn't bother correcting the friend comment and instead smiled up at the girl. The wonderful, beautiful, innocent girl. Of course he would do as she asked. He nodded.

Besides, this gave him a chance to annoy the damn rat. Win-win situation.

* * *

Hey everyone, I just want to take a minute of your lovely time **AS IN LOOK HERE PLEASE **to sincerely say thank you **THANK YOU THANK YOU** for the lovely and reassuring reviews you've given me. And if not that it's the alerts or favorites etc, etc. Really, it's so kind of you all to take the time to show you care :D SO. A big shout out to all you gorgeous folk out there. I adore each and every on of you.

Now on a more self-centered approach: OMG LOOK IT'S THE THIRD UPDATE IN LESS THEN A YEAR YAAYAYAYAY. Seriously, we're going places people. I'm just not sure where quite yet.

Actually, it snowed today. Which is late in the year, sadly enough. IT'S SO COLD ; - ; So lets shoot for somewhere warmer. Like south. Although not Playa del Carmen, or however you spell that. Gas explosions are terribly frightening I'm afraid. Spain maybe? Anyone know the climate in Spain this time of year?

Oh, alsoooo. I'm concerned that having a plotting Kyo and Tohru is terribly OOC. Comments?


	4. Chapter 4

_I'm not really previewing this as it's quarter past midnight and I have thirty, count them, thirty, oral commentaries to finish up in addition to math exercises and biology exams. Also, the six male mice I have for by Animal Behavior keep attacking each other and one won't stop running on it's wheel and is keeping me up. All. Night. ahjfhlskhflsjf. But anyway! I'm not here to complain, I'm just explaining why this chapter may be slightly (read: substantially) of less quality then my others. I can't even read it over. BUT HEY. IT'S HERE. AND UPDATED. WHICH IS A MIRACLE CONSIDERING HOW MUCH WORK I SHOULD BE DOING._

**Also, awesome note at the end of the chapter. FYI.**

So yeah. Tohru and Kagome start their little "discussion".

* * *

Kagome never saw it coming. How could she possibly have done so? She wasn't expecting an attack in any way, shape, or form. Not when it was the modern era. Not when the things that go bump in the night and the monsters under the bed remained behind, five hundred years in the past.

It really wasn't her fault that when Tohru sidelined her as they were hiking up the hill she became utterly defenceless. It wasn't her fault that when the young brunette offered to keep her company as they stalked ahead of the rest of the group that Kagome had no better excuse to stay other then "Uh, ah, uhmmm...but see - ". And it most certainly wasn't her fault that upon having the, in all fairness, rather enjoyable company of the delightful girl, the two of them somehow found themselves breaking off from the rest of their friends and in an awkward and particularly odd conversation.

Really. The boogeyman wasn't supposed to exist in this era. It was impossible to blame her for being herded accordingly.

"I heard you went out last night."

Kagome shot Tohru a look. "Oh really? From who?"

She was almost _positive_ that no one saw her going out last night. Although, now that she thought about it, it wasn't unlikely that someone woke up in the middle of the night and noticed she wasn't there. But hey, she could have been running to the washroom or something!

Tohru looked at Kagome in what she could only assume was a conniving sort of glance; the innocent woman didn't pull of sneaky very convincingly. "So it isn't true then?"

Tohru's big blue eyes bore into Kagome's, and damn her if she wasn't susceptible to the naivety apparent there! It wasn't fair really, not when the young girl was everything Kagome couldn't still call herself, and it took every internal muscle to not act on instinct and start a twenty-four hour bodyguard watch on the girl. Even if she was setting herself up, Kagome couldn't outright _lie_ to Tohru.

Damn, she used to be cold-hearted. At some point during her fighting years, she had developed a wall towards this. Where had that gone?

Kagome sighed. "No, it's true. I went out to the woods last night to think a little."

Which _was_ true really. She just hadn't figured Yuki into that thinking when she had left.

Of course, Tohru wasn't leading this way for nothing. "So, did you meet anyone out there?"

Kagome looked with wide eyes at Tohru. Where had the previous nature of the brunette gone? The timid girl who didn't want to be too rude. Who was this daring person asking her such leading questions?

She locked eyes with Tohru and said very slowly, making sure not to break eye contact. "Tohru, what are you asking me?"

At least she had the good sense to blush. "Well I just heard some things."

Kagome shook her head. She didn't even _want_ to know from whom. "Things."

She couldn't hold it in any longer. "Where you out there with Yuki last night?"

Kagome blinked. And then blinked some more. "Pardon!'

Tohru looked down at the ground. "I'm sorry if I'm being rude. I know you're a private person and I don't want to offend you are anything, but it's just that you're such a good person and a really dear friend of mine, and I know that sometimes if you keep it all in and just always smile on the outside that it can really start to hurt and you stop knowing whether or not reality always feels like that and life just starts running together as a day to day sort of battle and - "

Kagome held up her hands hurriedly. "Whoa, whoa there Tohru! Stop talking for a minute."

Tohru held her lips together, looking at Kagome with concern. This almost made her laugh. Tohru concerned? Kagome was much more worried.

"You're...concerned. That I'm keeping to myself too much?"

Tohru nodded, the panicky look still in her eyes. She took a deep breath. "I don't mean for you to start talking about your life. We all know that that's been hard on you. But I just think that if there's something more current that you might want to talk about, you should know there are people who are more then happy to listen."

Kagome was silent for a while. They all _know_? And here she'd thought she was getting so well versed in acting normal. It was awfully disappointing to learn she'd only fooled herself. "Why do you think I've had a hard past?"

Tohru shrugged. "Well when you were talking to me about my parents, it seemed like you were relating to it on more then an empathetic outside sort of view." Kagome looked at the brunette wryly.

Tohru grinned sheepishly. "And there are times when you get really quiet and don't talk to anyone for a while. It's more then being lost in thought; it's like you're lost in a different world. And when we first met you, you were so reckless sometimes, and so sad-looking other days. Kyo told me that he knew the disposition, that he had felt like that before."

Kagome frowned. "I'm afraid I don't know enough of the Sohma's past to be able to tell you I relate to him. Do you guys talk about it?"

Tohru looked down. "Talk about you, you mean?"

Kagome nodded.

"We don't get together and talk about you no. But you're very important to all of us Kagome! Sometimes it pops up."

At Kagome's silence, Tohru started to panic. This wasn't how she'd planned the conversation going. "I'm sorry! No one meant to be nosey. We've never gone into your past or anything of that sort."

Kagome smiled at the young girl. So naive and innocent, letting her daring be her bravery. Really, if she was going to be living in this world, she had to get used to the fact that not everyone here adapted to the utter desolation that was so very prominent in the Feudal Era. People like Sango and Miroku dealt with sorrow. They knew the pain of losing your family and perhaps keeping quiet about it wasn't the best medicine, but it was the common prescription. The modern world however, they liked to share. And Kagome knew, as a girl who was firmly rooted in the modern era these days - as well as a good fifteen years without any other point of view - that it had its merits.

They had walked off the path a bit so that the other groups weren't nearby; during the conversation the two girls had slowed down a bit and were starting to fall behind. Kagome looked upwards, letting the sun beat down on her face. She felt the wind and with each step could hear the crunch of gravel under her shoe. Soft chatter filled the air around her. She was here. This was her home. And it was really about time she honestly started living here.

Because Kagome knew Tohru was onto the truth. Despite her own internal arguments, Kagome had never adapted back to the modern world. She had played her part. Smiled when she thought she was supposed to be smiling, being empathetic when it suited the situation. And it wasn't as if she hadn't felt anything. She did have the capacity to feel a lot. She felt things for all her friends, perhaps not as strong as her family from the past, but certainly nothing as weak as the way she viewed other people. She was changing. But she wasn't showing it. For as much as she knew she had the capacity to feel, she had an equal capacity to keep it all away from the world. It had hurt before.

Tohru was getting nervous at this point, as Kagome hadn't spoken in a while. "I'm s-so sorry Kagome, I - "

Kagome laughed, if only a little wryly. "I'm not _mad_ Tohru hun. I was just thinking about it. I didn't know I came off that way still."

Tohru shook her head. "You aren't that way. It's just sometimes you have those moments. You're a very kind person Kagome, one who always helps others whenever they need it. That's how you come off."

Kagome grinned down at the brunette. "Oh now, don't go trying to suck up to me. That's you, not me."

Tohru gasped. "I'm not sucking up! I'm - "

Kagome linked her arm through Tohru's and pulled her to her side. "I know, I know. Look, I am trying to be those things. So why don't we start from here on in? You ask and I'll tell, and no secrets."

Of course Kagome didn't think it through as well as she should have. She'd already forgotten the beginning of the conversation.

"Do you like Yuki?"

Kagome tensed, knowing subconsciously that Tohru was sure to feel it while they were still walking together as such. She frowned, but mostly because she could feel her face heat up. "That's jumping right in there."

Tohru took in a breath to start talking again but Kagome held up a hand to quiet her. She spoke in a low whisper. "No, no, I said I'd be truthful. I like him."

Tohru squealed a little, for who knows what reason. Kagome attributed it to the female gene.

"I bet you if you told him it'd be - "

Kagome jumped a little. "Tell him? Why in the world would I do that?"

Tohru looked confused. "Because you like him?"

Kagome shook her head furiously. "Tohru, if there's one thing I can absolutely tell you in no uncertain terms is that no one deserves to try and deal with me right now. I'm not in a state of mind where I can be in any sort of relationship with another person without it being extremely unfair to them. And I don't think I could deal with it becoming awkward between us either."

Tohru looked at Kagome apprehensively, most likely stuck on the issue of 'dealing with' Kagome. "But what if he wanted to deal with all that mess, because he cares too. Would you not want to try?"

Kagome cocked her head thoughtfully. "Well, hypothetically speaking, I'd say he doesn't _know_ what my mess is. So he'd have no way what a stretch it'd be on him. I do."

Tohru sighed and looked as if she had more to say. Kagome shook her head. "Look Tohru, I appreciate you listening; it's nice having someone know. But I'm well aware of my own flaws. I value everyone's friendship too much to ruin it with me being me."

"Kagome-"

Kagome, nervous, gripped Tohru's arm tighter and said, loudly "Look! It's such a nice day out toady and we're wasting it on our own talking about such depressing matters. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and so many more clichés to enjoy." Quieter, she added on "The conversation is better suited for a more timely setting yeah? I promise to steal you away one day soon."

With that she skipped up ahead to where she could see the back of Momiji's head. The best defence for a strong offence? Flight. Oh, definitely flight.

Tohru was pulled along with nothing more than a slight "eep". Kagome smiled vindictively. See? These attacks just came out of no where. You were helpless.

She sincerely hoped that nothing came of her newfound honesty; nothing more stressful then she could deal with. Which sadly, wasn't a lot these days. Kagome sighed. Flight. She was going to flee these feelings, at least for the next few hours.

* * *

**ALRIGHT, THAT'S THAT. **I don't know how incharacter they are, but they're in _my_ character, so I'm content. Ahahahaha.

**Awesome note time. I don't know who knows of it or uses it or even thinks about it, but my recent addiction is Tumblr. Which is sad yes, and is eating up my spare time yes, but is _totally_ addictive. So if you are interested or want to chat or just check it out (and possibly make an account because it's awesome and I'm a trend setter like that) my account is:**

**http: / / teatimerants . tumblr . com **

**but y'know, without the spaces. And another one is called flowers - for - algernon . tumblr . com, and you can listen to me rant about what pricks all my mice are. Because they seem to be eating each other. But they were snake feed anyway, so if they become murderers, what's it to me?**

_Okay, so the note wasn't really that awesome, but _I _liked it. _


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